The archived blog of the Project On Government Oversight (POGO).

Mar 22, 2010

Riding the Oversight Wave from California

POGO was delighted when the
Mayor of Rancho Cordova, CA, Ken Cooley stopped by our office last
week to purchase three copies of The
Art of Congressional Oversight: A User's Guide to Doing It Right.
Cooley, who also wears the hat of
Principal Consultant to the California State Senate Committee on
Banking,
Finance, and Insurance, will be sharing the handbooks with Senate
colleagues
who are interested in expanding oversight efforts.

Cooley has compiled a draft
resource on oversight for Senate standing committees that has evoked
interest among Senate colleagues eager to reinvigorate efforts on
oversight and towards a more accountable government. Cooley reported
that increased oversight is a top priority of Senate Pro Tempore Darrell
Steinberg, the Chamber’s top leader, who has established an Office of
Oversight and Outcomes.

Mayor Cooley's two cents:

“Senator
Darrell Steinberg’s new emphasis makes sense. At a time when budget
shortfalls and various kinds of process gridlocks pose barriers to
accomplishment
in many State Capitals, oversight efforts offer Legislatures a natural
avenue for productive — and bipartisan — achievement. When finding
monies for new legislative initiatives can be daunting, taking an
updated
look at the efficacy and efficiency of previous legislation, as well
as scouting around for wasted government funds, gives state lawmakers
opportunities for very fruitful inquiry.”

Do his points sound familiar?
They do to us. In February, POGO distributed
to the U.S. Congress “A
Dozen Nonpartisan Good Government Fixes To Implement in 2010.” We
said: “None of these issues
are partisan. In fact, the solution to many of these problems involve
strengthening the watchdogs in the government, a goal that should be
shared by both sides of the aisle.”

We hope that the handbook
provides some valuable tips, and perhaps a model for a similar handbook
for the CA state legislative staff and Members. While we wrote our
handbook
for congressional staff and Members, we hoped that it would also find
an audience with legislators at the state andlocal level, as well as
those abroad, and of course, students of government. While the U.S. Congress
is unique in having oversight support bodies such as the Congressional
Research Service (CRS) and Government Accountability
Office (GAO),
many of the components of good oversight are not exclusive to the U.S.
Congress. For example, following up on insider and whistleblower tips,
not being intimidated by the executive branch’s defense of its own interests,
and getting out of the office to pound the pavement with some
investigating.

We hope to hear more about
the oversight efforts in the California State Senate.